Trump Congratulates White House Reporters for Not Social Distancing — Which His Own Press Shop Ordered
As thousands of Americans continue to die from the coronavirus, President Donald Trump praised reporters for sitting close together at a press conference — a seating arrangement that his own press shop ordered.
On Friday morning, Trump held a lengthy, rambling press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House to discuss an encouraging jobs report that showed some rebound from the devastating job losses that have attended the pandemic.
During one tangent, Trump discussed the reopening of states, and remarked to the assembled reporters “Even you, I notice you’re starting to get much closer together, looks much better, I must say. You’re not all the way there yet but you’ll be there soon.”
But before the press conference began, several reporters confirmed that the decision to seat the press closer together was made by the White House press office. According to One America News’ Chanel Rion, deputy press secretary Judd Deere told her it was his call.
Rion wrote, on Twitter, that she asked “Who’s [sic] decision was it to not Social distance the chairs?”
“White House Dep. Press Sec Judd Deere: ‘Mine.’” Rion added.
Member of White House Press pool at the Rose Garden Press Conference:
“Who’s decision was it to not Social distance the chairs?”
White House Dep. Press Sec Judd Deere: “Mine.”@OANN pic.twitter.com/uIx0JeUCvk
— Chanel Rion OAN (@ChanelRion) June 5, 2020
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman made a similar observation during Trump’s remarks.
“He notes the reporters are sitting closer together now and calls it better (the reporters didn’t set up the chairs, the White House did),” Haberman wrote.
He notes the reporters are sitting closer together now and calls it better (the reporters didn’t set up the chairs, the White House did).
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 5, 2020
ABC News’ Jon Karl and CNN’s Jim Acosta also noted the change, and Karl slammed it by noting “This is a flagrant violation of CDC guidelines on social distancing and a move that puts reporters at risk for the purpose of turning the press corps into a prop for a so-called ‘press conference’ where the president refuses to answer a single question.
This is a flagrant violation of CDC guidelines on social distancing and a move that puts reporters at risk for the purpose of turning the press corps into a prop for a so-called “press conference” where the president refuses to answer a single question. https://t.co/dgImSBblaO
— jonkarl (@jonkarl) June 5, 2020
The move comes as average coronavirus deaths in the U.S. continue to hover around a thousand per day, and one day after CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield expressed frustration that his agency’s messaging about social distancing “isn’t resonating,” and told a congressional subcommittee that “We continue to try to find figure out how to penetrate the message with different groups.”
It should also be noted that chairs aren’t nailed to the lawn in the Rose Garden, but it doesn’t appear that reporters made any significant effort to increase the distance between them on their own.
Watch the clip above via Fox News.
